VERBUM HODIERNUM: Today's word is TUUS - read a brief essay about the word at the Verbosum blog. Here's one of the sayings you can find in the essay: Me mea delectant, te tua, quemque sua, "I like my things, you yours, each his own" (a nice variation on cuique suum, which is probably the closest thing I have to a personal Latin motto!).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Multi sunt vocati, pauci vero electi (English: Many are called, but few are chosen).

Proper Name Proverb from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb from Erasmus is Cyclobori vox (English: The sound of the Cycloborus; from Adagia 3.2.16 - The Cycloborus was a river in Greece, proverbial for its roaring and crashing water course; to make a sound like the Cycloborus was to make a very large noise indeed!).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἁμ' ἕπος, ἅμ' ἔργον (which is the Greek equivalent of our English "no sooner said than done").

For an image today, here is Socrates and the story of the lump of gold: 884. Socrates et Pondus Auri. Socrates philosophus, veniens ad Athenas, secum ferens pondus auri, proiecit in mare, dicens, “Submergam te, ne submergar a te.” (source: the image is a 1st-century fresco now in the Ephesus Museum):

Audio Latin Proverb: Today's audio Latin proverb is Non curat numerum lupus (English: The wolf doesn't worry about the number). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Animal Proverb from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb from Erasmus is Sus cum Minerva certamen suscepit (English: A pig has entered into a contest with Minerva; from Adagia 1.1.41 - a foolish contest, of course, since Athena is the goddess of wisdom... the pig should know better!).

Latin Animal Proverb: Today's animal proverb is Rana in paludem ex throno resilit auro (English: The frog leaps from the golden throne into the swamp - in other words, you can take the frog out of the swamp, but you can't take the swamp out of the frog, ha ha).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Cyprii bovis merenda (English: A supper fit for a Cyprian bull... which is to say, not a very nice supper, as the bulls of Cyprus were rumored to feed on manure).

Proper Name Proverb from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb from Erasmus is Zenone moderatior (English: More sober than Zeno; from Adagia 1.10.83 - Zeno of Citium, the founder of the Stoic school of philosophy, was notorious was his ascetic lifestyle).

VERBUM HODIERNUM: Today's word is ADMIROR - read a brief essay about the word at the Verbosum blog. Here's one of the sayings you can find in the essay: Neque irasci, neque admirari, sed intellegere melius est, "Not to get angry, not to be amazed, but to understand is the best thing."

3-Word Proverbs Verb-less: Today's 3-word verb-less proverb is Via ovicipitum dura (English: The life of the eggheads is hard - a modern Latin saying coined by Adlai Stevenson!)

Audio Latin Proverb: Today's audio Latin proverb is Quod licet Iovi, non licet bovi (English: What is permitted to Jove is not permitted to an ox). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Animal Proverb from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb from Erasmus is Psaphonis aves (English: The birds of Psapho; from Adagia 1.2.100 - This refers to a man named Psapho who taught some birds to say "Great is the God Psapho!" and then released them into the wild; when people heard the birds, they started to worship a god named Psapho!).

Elizabethan Proverb Commentary: Here is today's proverb commentary, this time by Taverner: Qualis vir, talis oratio: As the man is, so is his talke. The talke of honest men is honestie, the talke of knaves is knaverie.

MARCH 18: I'm participating in the Day in the Life of the Digital Humanities 2011 project - you can see my blog posts at the Day of DH 2011 site - I think it will be a great way to learn about what all kinds of people are doing in digital humanities all over the world.

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Πολλοί σε μισήσουσι, ἂν σαυτὸν φιλῇς (English: Many will hate you, if you love yourself).

Proper Name Proverb from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb from Erasmus is Semper feliciter cadunt Iovis taxilli (English: The dice always fall lucky for Jupiter - but of course we mortals need to take care, since we are not so lucky; from Adagia 1.3.9).

In honor of this proverb about Jupiter and the dice, I thought for an image today that it would be fun to include this image of the "knucklebones" which were used for dicing in the ancient world; you can read more about ancient dice at the Tali webpage, which is the source for this image of some ancient dicing knucklebones, one made from onyx and the other from rock crystal:

For an image today, here is an illustration to go with the story of the frogs:606. Ranae et Puer. Lascivus puer, ad stagnum conspicatus ranas exerentes capitula de aquis, per lusum saxis illas appetebat deque illis iugulabat multas. Tum una, “Iste quidem puer,” inquit, “ut videtis, ludit; nostrae autem sorores moriuntur.” (source - easy version: note that the image is for a version of the story with more than one boy!)

Elizabethan Proverb Commentary: Here is today's proverb commentary, this time by Conybeare: Canis festinans caecos edit catulos: The hastie bitche bringeth forthe blind whealpes. The more haste the worsse spede. A proverbe applied to them which being hasty to set forthe there workes do make them unperfect (there's an example of today's word, too: festinans).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Matura satio saepe decipere solet, sera nunquam quin mala sit (English: An early sowing often plays false; a late one is never anything but bad).

Audio Latin Proverb: Today's audio Latin proverb is Plures necat gula quam gladius (English: The gullet kills more than the sword). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Nil non acerbum, prius quam maturum fuit (English: There is nothing that was not bitter before it ripened).

Animal Proverb from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb from Erasmus is De asini umbra libet audire (English: You're glad to listen to a story about a donkey's shadow; from Adagia 1.3.52 - which refers to the famous Aesop's fable told about Demosthenes).

Elizabethan Proverb Commentary: Here is today's proverb commentary, this time by Taverner: Adversus solem ne loquitor: Speake not against the sun. That is to say, strive not against manifest and evident thinges. For the thinge that apparant, and which no man denieth, wee call as cleare as the Sunne (and note that lovely form loquitor - it's an imperative!).

Sunday, March 6, 2011

** ANECDOTA UPDATE ** I've been making a lot of progress on the Anecdota project! I've got story-to-story navigation for every story now published there (over 100 stories so far!), along with a "word cloud" of the proper names in the stories so far (the word cloud is in the side bar, just to the right of the stories). You can also get an Anecdote widget to use in your own blog or wiki or webpage. Right now I've started on the 60 anecdotes in Heatley and Kingdon's Excerpta Facilia (which is a follow-up to their Gradatim book, if you are familiar with that one).

Latin Animal Proverb: Today's animal proverb is Ut apes geometriam (English: As the bees [know] their geometry - just look at the honeycomb if you want proof!).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Iniquum petendum ut aequum feras (English: Seek more than what is right so that you may carry off the right amount).

Proper Name Proverb from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb from Erasmus is Lavare Peliam (English: To wash Pelias; from Adagia 2.10.56 - this was the deadly favor which Medea offered to teach the daughters of Pelias).

VERBUM HODIERNUM: Today's word is PHILOSOPHUS - read a brief essay about the word at the Verbosum blog. Here's one of the sayings you can find in the essay: Nihil tam absurde dici potest quod non dicatur ab aliquo philosophorum, "There is nothing so crazy that can be said which hasn't been said by someone or other of the philosophers."

Audio Latin Proverb: Today's audio Latin proverb is Quam felix vita transit sine negotiis (English: How happily life passes by without business to do). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Animal Proverb from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb from Erasmus is Asinus balneatoris (English: The bathkeeper's donkey; from Adagia 4.4.50 - which is to say, the donkey who does all the work but does not get to enjoy the benefit of actually taking a bath himself!).

Latin Animal Proverb: Today's animal proverb is Gallus in sterquilinio suo plurimum potest (English: A rooster in his dung heap can do a great deal - kind of "a man's home is his castle," but for a rooster, it's his dunghill that's the castle!).

Proper Name Proverb from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb from Erasmus is Parni scaphula (English: The skiff of Parnus; from Adagia 2.5.17 - This refers to someone who will start a quarrel at the least excuse, as Parnus did when someone stole his worthless little boat).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἀετὸν ἵπτασθαι διδάσκεις (English: You're teaching an eagle to fly - obviously a waste of time, since the eagle flies better than any of us do!).